‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ review: Can the series deliver one last scare?

The Conjuring universe literally ran it last ritesThe ninth and (apparently) final installment in the religious horror franchise. It’s been 12 years since James Wan introduced Wallach to audiences with the first film, when Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga first took on controversial real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren.

With director Michael Chaves (The Conjuring 3: The Devil Made Me Do It, Nun II) at the top, and a story based on the alleged demonic haunting of the Smurl family in the late 80s, The Conjuring: Last Rites Every move in the Conjuring book is deliberate. Fan service comes with the territory in horror franchises, and last rites‘The Cup Runneth packs plenty of scares, with series cameos, familiar production design, and distinctive jump scares.

However, it’s the film’s reverence for the real Ed and Lorraine Warren and the Conjuring universe at large that may lead to its destruction. With much of the film spent giving contextual nods and unbridled praise for its lead pair, we’re left waiting long for what we came for: one hell of a final scare.

What is The Conjuring: Last Rites About this?

The Conjuring: Last Rites Takes us back to familiar territory. Like magic 2There are parallel hauntings going on: the alleged demonic disturbance of the Smarl family in West Pittston, Pennsylvania in the late ’80s, and the scary visions experienced by clairvoyant Lorraine Warren (Farmiga) and her now-grown daughter Judy (Mia Tomlinson), who is attempting to silence her growing psychic powers.

To open the film, we are sent back to 1964, where a young Lorraine and Ed (Madison Lawler and Orion Smith) investigate a spooky storeroom full of clocks (of course!), where a spooky mirror decorated with wooden angels screams “DO NOT TOUCH.” Ignoring this of course, Lorraine’s contact with said mirror inspires one of the film’s most disturbing scenes, in which our extraordinary communicator is sent into early labor in the company of a demonic presence. As if giving birth wasn’t intense enough, last rites Lorraine is plunged into a terrifying experience of insecurity. However, from here, last rites Spends much time on the Warrens’ family life, from Judy’s childhood, carousels, and running around the flower fields, to their retirement away from the monsters in Connecticut.

It’s this open praise for Warren that feels extremely stretched. last ritesDespite the couple’s real-life controversies. From beginning to end of the film, Wilson and Farmiga’s Ed and Lorraine are portrayed as reluctant heroes of extraordinary heroism and extremely pious and devoted family members. The film spends about half its runtime chronicling Warren’s barbecue throwing, post-Investigation era bliss, and a particularly tiresome parenting encounter with Judy’s boyfriend, Tony (Ben Hardy). Whatever you think of the real Warren, Wilson and Farmiga have long imbued the screen Warren with tremendous credibility; Farmiga has always portrayed Lorraine with little credibility, and Wilson’s commitment to the character of Ed is the only thing that makes a scene where the characters need to hold the mirror truly compelling.

For those who are tapping their watches for Warren to come back to investigate, there’s also a second story, illustrated by the series’ signature bright yellow Courier’s new font, which declares the subsequent events to be “based on a true story” and is loosely adapted from Warren’s reported hauntings – following the Perron family of Rhode Island in 1971 (magical), the Amityville murders of the late 70s and the “Enfield Poltergeist” case (The Conjuring 2), The murder trial of Arne Cheyenne Johnson (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, This time, it’s an infamous 1986 case in Pennsylvania, where we’re introduced to characters based on the real Janet and Jack Smarl (played by Rebecca Calder and Elliot Cowan), who claimed their family was plagued by a demonic presence.

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And it’s this story that sees the film slip into the classic Conjuring style.

The Conjuring: Last Rites A magical film by the numbers.

Director Michael Chaves is well-versed in the Conjuring universe, having directed the third Magic Along with the film, the sequel also nun and closely linked the curse of la loronaHowever, despite its solid scares, the film feels somewhat mired in fan service, which hurts the signature Magic boxes and presents two mundane but undeniably well-soundtracked (of course yes, The Cult) stories at once.

everything you would expect Magic The movie is here. Actual footage of Warren is interspersed with Wilson and Farmiga. Creepy old-fashioned music boxes and cursed dolls. A happy family is being terrorized at night, often through their favorite games or in a scary basement. A family dog ​​who makes onlookers worry about their safety. The menacing notes read “Miss me?”

Contains copious references to previous Conjuring films last ritesInvolved nun And Annabelle Movies. Fans may be pleased to hear that Ed once again warns his guests not to touch anything in the basement of the Warrens’ Connecticut home, where cursed objects like the Annabelle doll reside – the first lines Wilson even repeats in the film. Magic Film: “Nothing is a toy, not even toys.” And as for the cameo? Just wait to see for yourself (although the official is watching Brad Hamilton rocking his bite mark). magical There’s an obviously hilarious heads-up in a barbecue scene).

But the real magical style comes out in the scares – of which there are many.

The Conjuring: Last Rites Creates fear by jumping.

never fear, Magic-style scares are present in both storylines, with the Smurfs being struck by several bumps at night in Pennsylvania, and poor Lorraine unable to order linguine or do the dishes in Connecticut without being interrupted by a malicious presence. last rites‘Parallel narratives consistently follow the Warrens, who continually mention “three stages of demonic activity” in the letter: “infection, oppression and possession,” from those initial ghostly whispers to the dangerous takeover, with ample scares along the way.

The Conjuring universe, established by Wan’s brilliant 2013 original, has become synonymous with that classic horror weapon of the jump scare in the wrong direction. Cameras are moving back and forth and the fraud is creating fear. The characters are forced to constantly use torches with limited light. Spectators restlessly look for faces in dark corners, put their fingers in their ears and wait for the drop. Although without the same unexpected innovation as the original (but with Wan in the producer role), last rites With daring cinematography by Eli Bourne, wonderful sound design by Harry Cohen, a particularly effective scene involving the disappearance of a phone cord in a pantry, and clever use of VHS footage for solid creeps, these are packed with jump scares.

last rites The franchise feels like a Conjuring movie in every sense of the word, but it’s a little disappointing that the film doesn’t pull out all the stops to say goodbye to Wilson and Farmiga’s now iconic characters. Fan service, it’s in spades. But really the memorable scares and compelling stories that push the Conjuring series as far as it could have gone? Less like this. However, if you want to take another trip into the Warren’s Cellar of Cursed Curiosities, for old scary time’s sake, it’s worth a visit.

The Conjuring: Last Rites Streaming on HBO Max.

Updated: November 20, 2025, 4:43 pm This review was first published on September 5, 2025. This has been updated to reflect its streaming availability.